Winelands Chocolate Festival

Wine and Chocolate Festival: Hits and Misses

 The Winelands Chocolate Festival took place at Blaauwklippen, Stellenbosch on 20 - 21 August. The programme for the festival looked impressive and enticing and my friends and I decided to opt for the R120 day pass, which was to include "a free wine glass, a festival bag and a choccie, plus two magazines". I thought, well, that in itself sounds like a decent welcome to the festival. However, as is often the case, my expectations and reality did not quite align with each other. There was indeed a wine glass but a plain one with no branding or any connection to the event - essentially a generic glass I could have purchased at Pick 'n Pay. The festival bag, which I expected to be some kind reusable shopping bag, also with some form of branding, turned out to be a plain striped plastic bag. The 'choccie' took the form of two bite-sized samples and 'two magazines' became one.

The first event we decided to check out was the chocolate-inspired fashion show. We were looking for a ramp of some kind but all we could see was a red carpet rolled out on the grass. We soon realised that this was to be the site of the fashion show. Those poor models had to strut their stuff on uneven and spongy ground, wearing chunky high-heeled shoes that didn't quite compliment their garments, while simultaneously dodging marquee pegs and random rug rats who decided to run up and down the red carpet that wasn't secured and kept folding in places. There was also the curious case of the seemingly teenage male model, perhaps the farmer's son who had to step in at the last minute following a model crisis, wearing exactly the same outfit as the preceding model, who, as Ru would say, wore it well. Very well. The final male model looked extremely uncomfortable but this could have been due to the oversized gold bow tie attached to his shirt, which I wanted to rip off - the bow tie that is - because it detracted from the overall look.

 

The chocolate emporium was definitely a highlight with an array of impressive cakes, cupcakes, pastries, fudge, truffles, and chocolate bars. However, the "chocolate freebies" that were alluded to in the advertising for the festival were very limited. I don't think some of the samples could have been chopped any smaller; some were reduced to crumbs that visitors had to gather together with their fingers, leaving us feeling like Oliver Twist. Somewhere I had read that a Lindt Pop-Up shop would feature a Lindt chef who would show me how to make Lindor balls and let me taste them. Unless I missed something, I did not taste a single ball.

Fortunately the complimentary wine tasting at various stalls made up for the lack of substantial free samples with Dornier, Louisvale Wines and Aniston Bay Infusions being my favourites (the lemongrass, mint and aloe infusion from the latter exhibitor, who was very generous with his samples, was a winner for me). The liqueur-filled chocolate shots from Kaapse Liqueurs were also most enjoyable; I opted for the strawberry liqueur which went down very well as did the chocolate shot in was served in.

The Victorian kitchen display turned out to be a table displaying a couple of kitchen implements from the early parts of the last century while the cacao plantation exhibit comprised a table of cacao beans next to a plastic cacao tree. Neither of the displays warranted a mention on the programme and I left the emporium not knowing anything more about what went on in a Victorian kitchen. My disappointment was mitigated somewhat by the display of a tie and bow tie that were both expertly constructed using chocolate.

According to the well-designed Visitor Guide, there was to be a Jewellery and Chocolate Curation at the Manor House all day, in addition to the demonstrations and tutored tastings, which cost extra to attend. But this was not the case so we were unable to set foot inside the guarded Manor House and had to be content with glimpses into the Cape Dutch building through its windows.

The weather was absolutely stunning and there was a distinct spring feeling in the air. Blaauwklippen, with its backdrop of majestic mountains, is a beautiful setting for a festival such as this one. It felt incredibly relaxing to soak up the sunshine while enjoying delicious food (in my case a mouth-watering ostrich pie), decadent desserts, luscious wines and feel-good festival music that favoured 90s classics. Was the R120 day pass value for money? It's a no from me. But was the festival a great way to spend a Saturday with a group of friends? That would be a resounding yes.